Adjusting the Optimization Mode

Workload Balancing makes recommendations to rebalance, or optimize , the virtual machine workload in your environment based on a strategy for placement you select known as the optimization mode .

Maximum Density and Maximum Performance modes

You can select one of two optimization modes:

Maximize Performance. (Default.) Workload Balancing attempts to spread workload evenly across all physical hosts in a resource pool. The goal is to minimize CPU, memory, network, and disk pressure for all hosts. When Maximize Performance is your placement strategy, Workload Balancing recommends optimization when a virtual machine reaches the High threshold.

Maximize Density. Workload Balancing attempts to fit as many virtual machines as possible onto a physical host. The goal is to minimize the number of physical hosts that must be online.

When you select Maximize Density as your placement strategy, you can specify rules similar to the ones in Maximize Performance. However, Workload Balancing uses these rules to determine how it can pack virtual machines onto a host. When Maximize Density is your placement strategy, Workload Balancing recommends optimization when a virtual machine reaches the Critical threshold.

Workload Balancing also lets you apply these optimization modes all of the time, Fixed , or switch between modes for specified time periods, Scheduled .

Fixed

Fixed optimization modes set Workload Balancing to a specific optimization behavior - either to try to create the best performance or the highest density - at all times.

Scheduled

Scheduled optimization modes let you schedule for Workload Balancing to apply different optimization modes depending on the time of day. For example, you might want to configure Workload Balancing to optimize for performance during the day when you have users connected and then, to save energy, specify for Workload Balancing to optimize for Maximum Density at night.

When you configure Scheduled optimization modes, Workload Balancing automatically changes to the optimization mode at the beginning of the time period—day of the week and time—you specified.

To set an optimization mode for all time periods

Select the pool in the Resources pane, click the WLB tab, and then click Settings.

In the left pane, click Optimization Mode.

Select Fixed , and select one of these optimization modes:

Maximize Performance. (Default.) Attempts to spread workload evenly across all physical hosts in a resource pool. The goal is to minimize CPU, memory, network, and disk pressure for all hosts.

Maximize Density. Attempts to fit as many virtual machines as possible onto a physical host. The goal is to minimize the number of physical hosts that must be online. (Note that Workload Balancing considers the performance of consolidated VMs and issues a recommendation to improve performance if a resource on a host reaches a Critical threshold.)

To specify times when the optimization mode will change automatically

Select the pool in the Resources pane, click on the WLB tab, and then click Settings.

In the left pane, click Optimization Mode.

Select Scheduled.

Click Add New to open the Optimization Mode Scheduler dialog box.

Select an optimization mode in the Change to list box:

Maximize Performance. Attempts to spread workload evenly across all physical hosts in a resource pool. The goal is to minimize CPU, memory, network, and disk pressure for all hosts.

Maximize Density. Attempts to fit as many virtual machines as possible onto a physical host. The goal is to minimize the number of physical hosts that must be online.

Select the day of the week and the time when you want Workload Balancing to begin operating in this mode.

Create more scheduled mode changes (that is, “tasks”) until you have the number you need. If you only schedule one task, Workload Balancing will switch to that mode and never switch back.

Click OK.

To delete or pause a scheduled optimization mode task

Select the pool in the Resources pane, click on the WLB tab, and then click Settings.

Click Optimization Mode.

Select a scheduled task and click one of the following:

Delete the task permanently. Click the Delete button.

Stop the task from running temporarily. Right-click the task and click Disable.

To re-enable a task, right click the task in the Scheduled Mode Changes list.

To edit a scheduled optimization mode task

Select the pool in the Resources pane, click on the WLB tab, and then click Settings.

Select a scheduled task.

Click Edit.

In the Change to box, select a different mode or make other changes as desired.

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